Better Left Unspoken
by dethlypoison
Summary: When the group went their own ways, Kaiba wanted nothing to do with it. Five years later, he still feels the same way but when the gang comes back together again, everything is different, and worst of all, he has to work with Jounouchi. Slow JouKaiJou, onesided Mokubax? Eventual rating change.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** It's been a little while since I've written anything. I'm a tad rusty but hopefully it's still an enjoyable read.

* * *

December settled in quickly, bringing the first of winter's chill to Domino. Undeterred by the cold, the city grew even more vibrant. Strings of festive lights encircled the trees and hung from the windows of even the smallest shops. People weaved in and out of the crowd to get where they needed to go in preparation for the year's end, buying sweets and gifts for their loved ones. Among them, Kaiba had tucked himself into the corner of a small boutique, watching his younger brother rifle through a pile of scarves trying to find the perfect one.

Their morning had been more eventful than Kaiba would have liked, with Mokuba practically tripping down the stairs with excitement and whisking them out the door to hit the stores. December was the one time when he was able to take some time out for himself as stocks generally took care of themselves with all that gift-giving and group-gathering nonsense everyone except him seemed to like so much. He also worked himself raw October through November to ensure that his commitments were light and he could afford to have the time off. Due to that, shopping wasn't his preferred leisure activity, but Mokuba was almost 18 and Kaiba had realized that the possibility of Mokuba running off to some foreign college, and disappearing on him for three years, was becoming quite possible now that acceptance letters were being mailed out.

"What about this one?"

Mokuba held a dark red scarf in one hand. The material was thick and warm, with strands of green running through it here and there, and the ends were cut to look frayed. Kaiba let his head dip slightly in approval and Mokuba signalled to the store clerk that his mind was made up. He shoved it in his bag, along with the other things he'd bought throughout the day, and grabbed his brother's hand, dragging him out of the store.

Grateful at least to be out of the corner, Kaiba let himself be dragged out onto the sidewalk. The dry, cool wind, hit his face and he let himself enjoy it for a moment or two before he turned to Mokuba who was hurriedly tapping away at his phone's onscreen keyboard. Kaiba figured he was either messaging a girl or messaging Yuugi, one or the other. He tried to look but Mokuba pulled the phone back skillfully without even looking up from what he was typing.

Kaiba clucked his tongue and shoved his hand into his pocket. He told himself he should enjoy this while it lasted... After all, he still felt like one day he woke up and Mokuba was a teenager. He'd cut his hair shorter recently, giving him a teen idol sort of look that Kaiba was still getting used to, but his clothing taste developed, running more towards business casual, which Kaiba was quietly thankful for. Mokuba was definitely handsome, a thought that was echoed by all the teenage girls in Domino City, and he was having his own successes hosting a lot of KaibaCorp fundraisers and expos, which suited his exuberant personality much better than Kaiba's, which still remained icy and indifferent.

 _But_ , he conceded, _this is nice_.

"Oh, everyone's finally here now, Seto."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "And here I thought I was just starting to have fun."

Mokuba grinned at him devilishly and held up the bag he'd been shoving the numerous purchases into.

"Gifts, big brother," he said pointedly. "That _you_ helped me pick out."

"You showed me, I nodded, you bought," Kaiba replied lazily.

"Close enough," Mokuba chimed and slid his phone back into his pocket. "So," he continued, unphased, "I was thinking we could get coffee and scones."

Kaiba nodded. Coffee sounded good.

As they walked, he let himself quietly observe the scenery around him once more, all the while idly agreeing or disagreeing with his younger brother on the myriad of topics that were on his mind. Blah, blah, blah, KaibaCorp, christmas parties, different kinds of cake, blah, blah, blah, KaibaCorp having a christmas party with five different kinds of cake. By the time they arrived at the cafe and settled into a booth next to each other, Mokuba had already planned a whole party down to the napkins.

"You're good at this," Kaiba noted.

Mokuba gave him a side-glance from from over the rim of his hot chocolate.

"You could always run for Chief Creative Officer next year."

"Or you just don't want me accepting the offer to go to Switzerland," Mokuba snorted when he put his cup down.

"Or I just want to let you know you have other options to consider," he corrected him before lifting the cup of coffee to his mouth. "What time are you meeting the others tomorrow?" he asked, before he took a sip.

"Well nothing's set in stone, yet, but since everyone's back today, we'll probably coordinate the time soon. Are you sure you won't come?"

"Certain."

Mokuba stroked the handle of the cup with his thumb, still holding it up to his mouth. "The one time that everyone is actually here, and _we_ actually have free time, you won't come. How did I know this was going to happen?"

Kaiba sighed, choosing to bite back his snide comment, and started to take advantage of the view his window seat offered him. They'd been over this a few times before; Mokuba had chosen to keep in touch with the others, mostly Yuugi from what he gathered, but the others, too, here and there. Kaiba wanted no part in the periodic updates, although he did entertain some talk while pretending not to listen. Mokuba would scold him for his attitude towards the people who ' _saved the both of us repeatedly_ , _if you happened to forget_ ', and Kaiba would answer with the usual, ' _I saved myself and I owe them nothing_ '. The year that just went past, Mokuba had given up on it and Kaiba figured hormones, girls, and university offers had finally become more important than the near impossible task of convincing Kaiba to care, let alone admit that he did.

"That's why we're meeting them now," Mokuba said bitterly.

The rush of noise that approached them, coupled with Mokuba's words, made his stomach drop. His eyes darted to face front and he saw Yuugi first, Anzu and Honda behind him, heading towards the booth. His jaw clenched immediately realizing what Mokuba had done and suddenly he understood Mokuba's urgency to head out the door and finish the shopping first thing in the morning.

"Hey, Kaiba," Yuugi greeted as he slid into the booth opposite, taking the window seat.

Honda slid into the seat next to him, and Anzu sat down next to Mokuba.

"Yuugi," he managed with a slight nod of his head, avoiding the inquisitive violet gaze by turning his own back towards the window.

Rather quickly, the booth was consumed by chatter, and the scent of chocolate and cinnamon; but the erratic clinking of cups and forks hitting plates, and random raised voices kept Kaiba on-edge. Mokuba's cheery demeanour only added to his ire, going so far as to make him feel disrespected.

Tricked, sour, and still festering, Kaiba turned his glare to Yuugi who was still burning holes into the side of his head. Unfortunately, this gave Yuugi the impression that he was ready for conversation.

"How have you been, Kaiba?"

Kaiba deflected the question: "Fine."

"I saw your VR reveal on the TV last month. It'll be a big success, I think."

"Of course it will," Kaiba responded flatly.

Yuugi pressed on, seemingly grasping for straws. "Mokuba's speech was really good. The crowd accepted it easily."

"Yeah, maybe _he_ should be the new face of KaibaCorp," Honda interjected teasingly, gaining the harsh glare of Kaiba's pent-up frustration.

"Actually," Mokuba piped up, before Kaiba could get any slandering words in edgewise, "Seto was just suggesting that I become Chief Creative Officer next year."

There was a murmur of approval and congratulations throughout the table and then Anzu: "You're not considering the school in Switzerland, anymore?"

Kaiba looked towards his brother, glare still locked-and-loaded, his mood and eyebrows knitting even tighter. Since when did they all get this close? But Mokuba just smiled-a business man's smile-and said it was 'still being considered'. Kaiba looked back out of the window again, trying to unball the fists that had formed under the table, nails starting to dig painfully into the flesh of his palms.

Down the street, a young boy and girl argued, and Kaiba let his attention focus on their scuffle. He quickly realized that it was over a candybar of some sort, the brightly coloured wrapper being waved around above the young boy's head, far out of the smaller girl's reach. Just as the girl gave another futile jump, her face red with frustration and cold, the candybar was snatched away by a stranger who had just walked up. The young children turned to face their assailant, and Kaiba observed the stranger, dressed all in black with the hood up, put the candybar behind his back and crouch to their level. Kaiba arched an eyebrow, his frown still deeply rooted on his face, and watched intently as they started to talk before, finally, the little boy pointed. The stranger took a hand out from behind his back, and gave the candy bar to the young boy. A second later, the other hand came into view and he gave the girl a matching pack, as well.

 _How sweet,_ Kaiba snarked to himself, picking up his coffee and bringing it to his lips.

As the children scampered off, the man continued on down the block heading closer, his head lowered enough that Kaiba could not make it out. Upon taking in the man's outfit, and realizing that it was much more than just a black ensemble, he bit the inside of his cheek feeling annoyed but appreciative. Taking a sip of his coffee, he watched the stranger reach up to take off his hood. Promptly, upon seeing that stranger's face and a head of blonde hair, he choked on the coffee going down his throat.

Kaiba tried to smother the cough that came along with the bitter taste that was coating his throat but failed, letting out a quick cough. The red-hot flame of embarrassment boiled up inside of him, along with the realization that he had somehow managed to find Jounouchi attractive for even a split second after all this time.

"Are you okay?" Yuugi asked, genuine concern displayed on his face, his question echoed by the others at the table.

The concern of the others was quickly diverted as the door to the store chimed, and while Kaiba continued to suffer with the liquid stuck in his throat, Jounouchi sidled up to the table.

"Kaiba, are you dyin'?" Jounouchi asked, his voice filled with laughter and curiosity at the same time.

"Not likely," Kaiba managed as the dark liquid finally quit its assault on his throat and found its way down the right way.

"Good," he replied, pulling off his coat and taking a seat next to Honda.

Kaiba felt Mokuba pat his leg underneath the table.

"Sorry, I'm late," Jounouchi apologized, "The meeting ran a little bit late."

"Wouldn't be like you to be on time," Honda jeered.

Jounouchi snorted. "I'll have you know I was busy jumping a little kid for their chocolate bar."

"But how did the interview go?" Honda asked, clearly unamused.

"The meeting went fine, Honda, thanks for askin'."

"So?" Mokuba asked excitedly.

"What's the verdict?" Anzu joined in.

"Uh, well, I'm still waiting for the call but I'm pretty sure it's a go. The head engineer didn't seem to have any reservations about showing me the project and introducing me to some of the mechanics."

From his spot in the corner, Kaiba dealt with his stomach as it started to twist. He'd never felt like it had been in his best interest to listen to Mokuba's Dweeb Patrol updates, nor had he ever wished more than he did right now, that Mokuba had just chosen to sever ties all those years ago when everyone went their seperate ways.

"So then the gang's back together!" Anzu cheered from behind Mokuba.

"Hear hear," Honda grumbled.

Kaiba watched a small smile creep up on Jounouchi's lips, and even as the chatter resumed between them, Jounouchi stayed silent. Kaiba kept his gaze focused on the other, trying to project his new, and his mounting, frustrations onto the other. Yet, somehow, even though he had been forced into this situation-blocked into the booth by Mokuba and Anzu, stuck being analyzed by Yuugi from across the booth, even assaulted by Jounouchi's fine show through the window-he could not, and despite Mokuba being right next to him, he had never felt further removed from a situation.

"I've gotta head out now," Anzu said suddenly, sounding satisfied, "I have recitals in a few hours. Yuugi?"

"Coming," he answered complacently.

"I'll come with you," Honda echoed, "Gotta head back to the station."

Mokuba suddenly perked up. "Can I stand in the line-up?"

Kaiba cut his eyes at his brother but he was just met with another of those dazzling businessman smiles. It left him feeling breathless.

"I'm not bailing you out if someone recognizes you," he snarked, trying to block out the rising emotion.

 _Finally_ , he triumphed internally as the group stood up and started to file out. He let himself look out of the window again, thinking he would try to gather his thoughts now, but he heard someone sit back down at the booth. Reluctantly, he turned his eyes back to the table, expecting Yuugi and another weak attempt at a conversation that had ended five years ago, but instead, he only saw Jounouchi, looking back at him.

The late afternoon sun was caught in the other's dark brown eyes, revealing an amber depth that made Kaiba bristle.

"You're not going to take your leave?" he ground out, gesturing towards the door.

The silence that followed was eerie. Kaiba felt a tug of nostalgia, briefly brought back to a time that seemed very far away; a time when Jounouchi would purposely put himself in Kaiba's line of sight, always trying and never really making the statement he wanted to make.

Finally, the unreadable expression cracked and a crooked smile appeared on Jounouchi's face instead.

"I figured I'd stick around and make ya miserable instead," was the astute answer Kaiba recieved, and the tightly wound strings within him released all at once. He almost groaned out loud.

"Mokuba force you to be here?" Jounouchi asked, stirring his hot chocolate with a long, thin, dessert spoon that clanged off the side of the cup awkwardly.

Kaiba turned his attention back towards the window for what felt like the thousandth time, and hoped Jounouchi would be put off by his silence. Yet, the other continued, unphased.

"He always was a brat. Pretty good at it, too, if he he managed to get you in here with all of us."

Jounouchi laughed awkwardly.

"Still, not much of a talker, I see," Jounouchi continued, "That's fine, though. I like you better when you're acting all cool and apathetic."

Kaiba let his eyes roll back to Jounouchi and raised an eyebrow at him but Jounouchi wasn't looking at him anymore, his dark eyes were focused on what, if anything, was left in his mug. Kaiba settled for looking at the eyelashes that were casting shadows down Jounouchi's cheeks. He raised his coffee and took a sip, watching the slow progression of Jounouchi's emotions, always readily available on his face.

"I know we've never been close," Jounouchi started finally, his voice sounding terse, "And that's not gonna change, but it's still irrating you pretend not to hear what I'm saying."

"Some things are better left unspoken," Kaiba offered, and met Jounouchi's wide eyes when he looked back up at him.

"No shit," Jounouchi mumbled before breaking eye contact and swallowing the last of what was in his mug. "It was nice seeing you, Kaiba."

Kaiba watched as he pulled up a scarf from beside him on the booth and wrapped it around his neck. He recognized the scarf as the one that Mokuba had picked up from the boutique, an unfamiliar feeling ran through his chest.

 _Gifts, big brother. That_ you _helped me pick out._

Kaiba's voice left his lips before he could stop it. "Hey," he called out as the other stood.

Jounouchi looked at him, his eyebrows drawn together.

"You, too."

He watched Jounouchi's face tighten a little bit more, a line forming between his eyebrows, and then there was only Jounouchi's laughter. Kaiba was sure he hadn't meant to be funny and he regretted saying it even more now that Jounouchi was laughing like he'd been told a very grand joke.

"Even you trying to be nice is mean," Jounouchi said, his voice still ringing with laughter.

The blonde dropped a few bills on the table next to his empty mug, and Kaiba could only watch as he walked away, feeling quite thrown, still wondering what it was that Jounouchi had been trying to say.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : As I've refined the second chapter rather quickly, I've decided to post it now.

* * *

Kaiba knew something was wrong the moment Mokuba stepped out of the hotel's elevator to meet him. His younger brother's mouth was turned down in a frown, his eyes were lidded and they looked at nothing in particular. He had one hand shoved into the pocket of his dress slacks and his tie was loose around his neck.

"You aren't going in there looking like that."

Mokuba clucked his tongue in response, and let his weight fall to rest on one leg furthering how improper he looked.

"What happened?" Kaiba asked, his voice low, as he reached forward to grab the skewed tie, forcefully adjusting it.

'I was rejected by someone,' was the concise answer he recieved, and 'I don't want to talk about it with you,' followed next.

Opening his mouth to reply, Kaiba noticed a few men in business suits come out of the doors further down the hall and start towards them. He let go of his brother and chose to keep his mouth shut. Mokuba straightened his posture with the approach of the men and his grey eyes found his brother's blue ones, but the look was bare.

It was rare to see Mokuba this openly upset as he usually hid the majority of his emotions under an obliging smile - a tendency Kaiba was sure he was responsible for. Regardless, Mokuba had said that he did not want to talk about it with him and he didn't have the breadth currently to force it out of the sour teenager. It could wait until later in the night.

The men came up, both taking deep bows. "Thank you for having us, Mr. Kaiba," they said in unison before shuffling into the elevator.

"Alright," Mokuba said finally, heading toward the door the two men had previously come out of. "Let's get this over with."

Getting it over with, as Mokuba had coolly put it, consisted of the younger Kaiba moving around the room at the annual year-end KaibaCorp party and doing a slightly better job at pretending to be interested in clipped business talk, unprofitable opinions, and obligated thank-yous. Kaiba did not do those things normally and did not do those things this night, either. Instead, each year, he used the party as a foot-in-the-door approach to business deals he had planned for the new year.

Certain deals were better dealt with after their representatives were all buttered up, Kaiba knew. Good public representation was worth just as much as the acquisition of assets and it was much easier to take shares or assimilate more stubborn companies after initial collaboration or outsourcing deals. He still maintained his penchant for hostile takeovers, however.

After losing Mokuba to the bad attitude and the crowd for good, Kaiba let his eyes scour the masses for his next target. Quickly, Kaiba spotted a middle-aged man observing the dessert table. He made his way through the people and the various groups they formed at such functions, until he reached the man, who seemed to be debating over plain vanilla or limoncello cake.

"Mr. Ikusawa?"

"Oh, dear, Mr. Kaiba!" He exclaimed, quickly turning around.

"Well, it is my party."

Kaiba thought he sounded almost scared. He looked it, too.

"Of course, of course," the man said, his voice light and awkward before stepping away from the dessert table. "It's just the only people who call me Mr. Ikusawa are my employees and I thought you were-"

He stopped abruptly, apparently noticing that his line of thought was inappropriate.

He shook his head and started again, "Thank you for inviting me."

Kaiba nodded and extended a hand, gesturing to the tables not too far away. "Let's talk business."

When they were finally seated, Kaiba started in on the proposal, wasting no time. He knew these things could be awkward, and this Ikusawa fellow looked like he was already suffering from the effects long before he'd been approached. He was doing them both a favour.

Isukawa listened intently, nodding here and there only stopping him to clarify once: "So, the company would be predominantly concerned with facility management more than development or enhancement work?"

"Yes, that would be a major part of the contract. However, depending on the team you put together, KaibaCorp is more than willing to collaborate with your company again on KaibaLand attractions."

"Ah, good," Ikusawa said, sounding relieved.

"Who do you have in mind for the team?" Kaiba prodded further.

"Some people your Domino KaibaLand team are already familar with but also, I have a new employee who I will be putting in, he worked on streamlining a Tokyo KaibaLand ride prior to joining us."

"New?" Kaiba asked, narrowing his eyes. "You don't see that as a risk to the team?"

"Hm, perhaps," Isukawa said thoughtfully, "But a calculated one. The man's resume is impressive, to say the least. He aced the practical exams in university, and has already participated in three projects with similar objectives, which are all still running seamlessly. The only risk is whether or not he gets along with the team but those things are easily resolved."

Kaiba looked at him seriously but upon seeing how serious Ikusawa seemed, he nodded and left the subject alone. They talked for a few more moments about the scope of the job before Kaiba stood from the table. Isukawa stood up and bowed politely.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Kaiba. We look forward to working with you in the new year."

Kaiba nodded slightly.

"Yes, see you in the new year."

As they parted ways, Isukawa heading back over the dessert table, Kaiba was intercepted by Mokuba who grabbed onto his arm.

"Did it go well?"

Kaiba's nose wrinkled at the smell of champagne on his younger brother's breath.

"Of course it did," Seto muttered, pulling his arm away and smoothing the sleeve of his suit jacket. He gave his brother a sharp look. "If you're drunk you should go to your room."

Mokuba snorted a little and stood up tall. "I'm not drunk," he said, sounding satisfied. "I only had a few glasses."

"Yeah, right," Kaiba muttered as he grabbed a glass of champagne off a passing waiter.

"Anyway, Seto, that man you were talking to, isn't he from I.K. Tech?"

Kaiba lifted an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"That's where Jounouchi had his interview, I'm pretty sure. I wonder if they'll put him on the project, too."

"They won't if they know what's good for them," Kaiba muttered and took a sip of his champagne.

Mokuba directed a cold look his way, although, it was slightly off considering the younger Kaiba had a bit much too drink.

"What?"

"You," Mokuba said simply. "Still holding onto past biases against Jounouchi. If you paid any attention to anything I said you'd know his accomplishments are pretty great considering-."

"Considering what?" Kaiba questioned, cutting his brother off. "That he was a low-life thug who didn't know left from right until Yuugi came along? And even then, he was second-rate at best. I wouldn't be surprised if he cheated on all those exams and told lame engineering jokes to get where he is now."

Mokuba cut his eyes at him as if he was personally slighted by the insults. "Do you always have to be such a jerk?"

"I'm nothing if not consistent."

The scowl he recieved made him clench his jaw. He said nothing as he watched Mokuba stalk off towards the hall doors. He raised the flute of champagne to his lips, feeling both contrite and unabashed at the same time. He wasn't going to apologize for being honest with his opinion but he did understand that it probably wasn't a good idea to ask about the rejection anymore.

The rest of the party went on smoothly. No one there was brazen enough to have an issue with Kaiba's mood and he found it easy to slip out as it started to wrap up. Shortly after, he found himself staring down his third glass of whiskey in the executive's bar of the hotel. The warm amber liquid left his empty stomach burning. Unfortunately, it did not even his thoughts out as he had hoped it would. Instead, his thoughts jumped around haphazardly.

The new situation with Jounouchi was only the tip of the iceberg. Two weeks ago, he had called out to Jounouchi on impulse, shocking them both, and since then, those wistful looks had hung around the corners of his mind like agents in the shadows. Yet, tonight, he had slandered him, snapping at being called out on his biases, and cutting the canyon between he and Mokuba deeper. Five years had passed and when thinking more objectively, he knew it was quite possible that Jounouchi had made accomplishments. Yet, the feeling that it would be a bad idea to have him on the project lingered, and he could not ignore it.

So therein lay the decision. He could either choose to mend the rift with Mokuba that he continued to create, or continue to drive the wedge further. It wasn't just Jounouchi, although that seemed to get the ball rolling this time. It was Yuugi, and more likely than not, the others as well since he'd noticed that _all_ of them seemed pretty tight-knit at the cafe.

His steady, comfortable pattern of rejection had caused him to become more removed from Mokuba's personal life than he'd previously thought... It became even clearer when he'd become conscious of the fact he had no idea who Mokuba would have confessed to in order to be rejected and that he couldn't even begin to guess.

He downed the rest of his drink and chose not to go over the situation again before he got too drunk to return to the room. He did consider if he would have to make his choice soon, though... The New Year quickly approached, as did College response deadlines, and if he knew his brother as well as he liked to think, Mokuba would be on the first plane out of Domino the first chance he got.

On his way back to the hotel room, something occured to him to him. When the elevator had reached his floor, raising slightly up and then coming to its stop, the alcohol-induced flip-flop that happened in his stomach reminded him of a familiar feeling. An odd, uncomfortable feeling-the same feeling he got every time Yuugi answered him cryptically, or Jounouchi's eerie silences got the better of him; a feeling of motion sickness those two gave him, as if they threatened to sweep him up in an uncomfortable wave and drop him on an unfamiliar shore.

That place that they kept offering to bring him was probably where Mokuba was.

The resistance he felt within him after that idea was stifling. Undoubtedly, making the decision to mend things with Mokuba was going to be a lot easier than following through with it. Thankfully, the night was long, and Mokuba was nowhere to be found in the hotel room, and his thoughts faded with the oncoming haze of the whiskey until he fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/N** : This chapter is a lot of introspective rambling by Kaiba. It was really enjoyable to write since Kaiba is a complex character but maybe I took too big a risk by keeping the story from Kaiba's POV.  
Next chapter we'll end up finding out who Mokuba was rejected by and Kaiba will confront the situation more directly.  
Reviews and criticism are encouraged. Thank you for reading. :)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:This chapter is pretty long which is good if you like that kind of thing. The rest of the chapters will probably all be this length moving forward. Anyway, I enjoyed writing it and I hope you guys enjoy reading it. Thank you for the people who are following.

* * *

Morning hit him like a sack of bricks. Its sunshine reaped the hotel bedroom to the corners and he woke feeling like he'd only just closed his eyes a few moments ago. A thin sweat had broke out on his skin and it attracted the cold December air that rolled into his room without mercy. He was promptly regretful of his decision to open the window last night. He cursed as he rose from the bed, a shiver racking his spine as the air found its way beneath the thin material of his dress shirt and underwear. As he made his way to the window, he saw that it had begun to snow. Small flurries clung to the screen that stopped their descent into his room, and they left a light blanket across the city laid out beneath him.

If he wasn't so damned cold he might have liked to sit there and look at it for a few more moments but his teeth had started threatening to chatter and he moved to the bathroom instead. He started the shower and stepped in.

When the taste of alcohol was finally off his palate and he was no longer shivering, he dressed quickly and went into the common area of the hotel room. A tray of breakfast, made up of cold dishes that had presumably already met room temperature, sat on the table waiting for him. He sat down and picked up the chopsticks. As he ate, he wondered if Mokuba was still upset with him about last night, but he remembered that it hadn't just been him that put the other in the bad mood. Mokuba had been rejected by someone, and Kaiba, in turn, had felt his own sense of rejection at being clueless.

The whiskey had made it all the more dramatic, though, sending his thoughts spinning out of control awfully quickly. A sad, sad day it was when he'd consider being friendly with any of them, let alone consider the possibility of Jounouchi being a capable person.

He almost laughed.

When he'd finished eating, he grabbed his phone to take his mind off it. Sliding through the different screens, he settled on the idea that Mokuba had probably already cooled off by now. But shortly into checking his new e-mails, Mokuba rushed out of the second bedroom, his dufflebag in tow. The younger boy threw a glare over his shoulder, and before any words could pass between them he was out of the door.

 _Guess he's still upset, then._

A sigh escaped him, and he returned to his e-mails, rubbing his temple lightly as he did it. A little further down the list, he found an e-mail from Ikusawa that had been sent sometime during the early hours of the morning to all the appropriate people involved in the KaibaLand-I.K. Tech collaboration project. Within it was a list of names, the people who were to be on Ikusawa's team, their team titles, and some brief notes about their qualifications for the project. Jounouchi's name, however, was not listed. Relief washed over him and he scrolled further down the e-mail. The contact information for I.K. Tech and Ikusawa's phone number and extension were there, as was expected. Lower than that, though, were several reply e-mails between Ikusawa and varying KaibaCorp employees that he didn't bother to read.

He flipped back to the screen of business e-mails, and then back to his personal list. Another e-mail from Ikusawa was on the second page, sent around the same time as the first e-mail. Its contents were short and concise, reading: "Discussion has come up about whether or not to include the new employee I mentioned last night. I would like to respectfully request that your KaibaCorp team consult with mine about including the new employee on the team. I have attached his resume and his portfolio for your consideration. I'm sure you will find them impressive. Thank you, and please let me know your decisions when you can."

He didn't open the attachment. The feeling that he already knew whose name would be displayed was so heavy it made him feel sick. Kaiba shut the phone off and put it face-down on the table, before getting up from the table and getting ready to leave the hotel. There was only a week and a half left before January and he did not want to spend his last free days thinking about anything that remotely involved Jounouchi Katsuya.

As the days slid by and the end of the year neared, Kaiba found it much harder to keep his resolve to not focus on work. E-mails and briefings came in by the dozen each day, and Ikusawa's request loomed over him, awaiting his decision. Besides that, Mokuba continued to be testy with him, his replies shorts, his remarks sarcastic, and he spent very little time at the mansion. The company suffered for it, too; the decisions being made last minute by Mokuba, and Kaiba, himself, were making everything feel disconnected.

At the beginning of the week, Kaiba had been intent on mending things with Mokuba, and yet, he found himself sitting alone on the eve of the new year in his office, staring into the laptop screen with dry, burning, eyes. Still, it was a good place to be alone, his office. It was a space he created to suit only himself and he was, purposely, a loner. From the pictures on the walls to the pens on his desk, all of the objects were carefully selected to bring him a sense of perfection-a dimly-lit, quiet, sandal-wood scented, type of perfection. It was good for working and it was good for brooding, the latter being what Kaiba chose to do this evening, carefully considering how to deal with the situation involving Jounouchi.

It wasn't particularly difficult in theory. The options as they presented themselves to him were: a) let the KaibaCorp-side supervisor for the project look it over and make the decision himself, b) tell the KaibaCorp-side supervisor to pretend to consider it, but say no, anyway, c) say no without considering any further, or d) deal with the situation in the appropriate manner and do a thorough consultation. None of the options were particularly appealing, either seeming too cowardly, too unprofessional, or too... nice.

As he'd come to learn, being a man of strategy and business, all actions have their consequences, and he did not want to deal with anymore than necessary where Jounouchi was involved. Even more so, since Mokuba had already made his differing stance on the situation clear.

A light knock at the door, called Kaiba's attention away from the idea of looking at Jounouchi's portfolio, as light started to stream into his office.

"Alright, Seto, I'm leaving now," Mokuba said from the doorway.

"It's late," Kaiba murmured. "I thought you'd already left."

Mokuba rolled his eyes but his expression seemed to soften a bit. "Yeah, well, my hair isn't perfect like yours."

Kaiba ignored debating whether that was sweet or uncalled for, and took the opportunity to press a bit further. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Yuugi's New Years party," he grumbled, his mood turning standoffish immediately, "I thought I already told you that."

Any other time, Kaiba was sure he would have scoffed and waved his brother away without a second thought but this time, without even the help of whiskey, he found himself feeling differently; once again feeling a strange sense of displacement at becoming so removed from his brother's life despite trying to stay close.

"You didn't," he said pointedly, moving his chair back from his desk.

Mokuba scoffed. "What would be the point? You don't like them anyway. What? Did you want an invite? You'd just say no and even if you did come, you'd probably poison the punch."

Kaiba snorted, but made a mental note of the idea, before standing from his chair. "Wait five more minutes," he insisted. "I'm coming with you."

Mokuba's face dropped, and Kaiba held back a smirk as his younger brother's eyes hardened.

"You don't have to look like that," Kaiba murmured, pushing his way past, "I'll try to be civil."

"Trying isn't good enough," Mokuba called after him but Kaiba ignored him, going into his room.

He stood in front of his closet and steeled himself. This was justified, he told himself. No doubt when he got there it would be uncomfortable, he would be unwelcome. Not to mention, he had never seen any of them willingly outside of Duel Monsters. The cafe had been a one-sided conversation, and this would be the same. They would all be there, sitting around, drinking and talking cheerily, and he would take them by surprise. He would make his impression by showing up, and then... it would be perfectly clear that he should not have gone. But he'd already said it out loud to Mokuba and if he pulled out now, the consequences of that action were, once again, too difficult to predict.

"Seto, are you ready yet?" Mokuba's voice came through the door, "Isono's waiting with the car."

Kaiba swallowed hard. He donned the black turtleneck and returned to his brother. "I'm ready," he said with perfected apathy, "Let's go."

Mokuba followed behind him, fixing him with a suspiscious look when they got into the car together, and Kaiba ignored it altogether. When the car slid to a stop, Mokuba reached out to hold the door handle shut from Isono.

"Seriously, Seto, if you go in there, I don't know what to expect from you."

"I'm not going to poison anyone," Kaiba assured before reaching out to move his brother's hand from the door handle.

"Then why are you coming?" Mokuba asked, his hand unbudging, his voice getting loud.

Kaiba bit the inside of his cheek as his mind raced for an acceptable answer but it became painfully clear to the both of them that he did not have one. He just hoped that his sincerity would be felt somehow. A beat passed and finally, Mokuba relinquished and gave a slight nod before getting out of the car.

One disaster avoided.

As he got out of the car, he let his long legs take full strides to beat Mokuba to the door. He just couldn't handle the thought of how he would look, standing there behind Mokuba like he needed some sort of approval to go in. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it immediately. He rang the buzzer and got ready for Yuugi.

But it was Jounouchi that greeted him at the door, in a thick black sweater, the red scarf that Mokuba had bought for him draped around the back of his neck.

"Kaiba?"

They locked eyes for one excruciation second before Jounouchi's eyes darted away.

"Uh, come in," Jounouchi said, although it sounded like more of a question to Kaiba, and he opened the door wider.

Mokuba rushed by them, knocking into them both, and stalked off into the house. Kaiba bit back the feeling of annoyance at seeing his younger brother walk in like that. He should have already figured that Mokuba had been here multiple times so he would know his way around at the least... but it was still shocking.

"Teenagers, huh?" Jounouchi offered awkwardly, before opening the door all the way and stepping back to let Kaiba in.

But Kaiba found that he could not move into the house like he was supposed to. The picture he'd envisioned in his mind of five people sitting around counting the time down together was being ripped up shred by shred as he looked around in front of him. He saw what he could only assume was everyone that Yuugi had probably ever befriended in Domino City spread out across the house. They sat around in little groups, talking, looking at pictures, laughing. And even though the door was wide open, no one seemed to notice him which made it feel even more surreal. The feeling that came with knowing he did not want to be here anymore was overwhelming.

"Kaiba," Jounouchi called from beside him but upon having no answer, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

"Kaiba," he said, his voice louder this time.

With the crowd of people gone and Jounouchi's voice harsh and demanding, Kaiba finally realized that he had froze.

"You good or what?" Jounouchi asked, looking more irritated than concered.

Kaiba fixed him with a hard look. "I'm fine," he lied.

Jounouchi seemed to think for a moment, and Kaiba wondered just what it was he was considering like that.

"Come to the back then," Jounouchi instructed, starting to walk that way, "You can use the door there. Last I checked that's where the other shut-ins were hanging out."

Kaiba wanted to say something about being called a shut-in but he chose not to. They walked in silence to the back of the house and then, Kaiba watched as Jounouchi leaned into the wall beside the door and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

"You can go in," Jounouchi said, pointing to the door before lighting his cigarette and taking a drag.

But he couldn't go in - or more truthfully, he didn't want to go in. Seeing everyone sitting there getting along like that made him feel more uncomfortable than anything else he dealt with on a daily basis did. He liked his parties dry and formal; the way he liked his life. He didn't have friends and he liked it that way. He didn't want to sit around and chat, or gossip, or exchange photos. Keeping up on other people's lives or sharing his thoughts and feelings with them... It was a hassle.

It didn't matter how much Mokuba meant to him, this was too uncomfortable a step for him to take... and somehow, standing here watching Jounouchi smoke a cigarette was better than going in there, and he moved to stand against the wall with him, praying for the other's silence. Surprisingly, for a minute or so, Jounouchi just stayed against the wall, smoking, and said nothing. Only the light sound of the blonde blowing smoke out punctuated the silence between them.

"Mokuba force you to be here, too?" Jounouchi asked suddenly and it made Kaiba flinch.

"Don't talk so casually," Kaiba quipped back quickly, his eyes moving to the ground.

"You're standing next to _me_ , in case ya forgot," Jounouchi said flatly.

Kaiba's mouth twitched and he continued to stare at the ground.

"Y'know, if you don't wanna go in that's cool. I can cover for you."

He listened to Jounouchi shift on the wall and take another drag off the cigarette. His stomach flip-flopped at the words and he looked away from the ground to the man beside him. Jounouchi was looking back at him and Kaiba found himself feeling appreciative again.

The distance between them at the cafe had not properly conveyed the new aesthetic Jounouchi had gained. Now, the other's eyes were more serious and his hair was maybe even a bit more tame. His features were still too sharp for anyone of Asian descent which gave him a rough look, but he seemed to have grown into them now. The lines of his neck and collarbone ran strong beneath the thick sweater, and he found himself drawn in.

"Hey," Jounouchi said again, moving so that he could make eye contact with the other. "Get it together, Kaiba. I'm saying you can leave."

"I don't need you to tell me if I can leave."

"You're the one who keeps spacin' out," Jounouchi retorted and returned to his cigarette.

"I'm going to go in," Kaiba ground out, his voice low. "... But not yet."

Jounouchi made a sound of understanding from behind his cigarette and Kaiba was thankful that he did not continue to talk to him until after he was done his cigarette. He dropped it to the ground and stepped on it.

"Okay, well, I'm going to the store," Jounouchi said, breaking their silence again.

Kaiba finally understood then, why he had opened the door to them instead of Yuugi.

"If you're gonna go in, you might want to do it soon before-"

"I'm going," Kaiba said promptly and stood up off the wall.

Jounouchi stopped and gave him a perplexed look.

"God, you're being weird today," he finally grumbled before pushing off the wall and starting to walk away.

Kaiba let out a groan when the other was gone around the side of the house, and leaned back into the wall. He looked up, past the edge of the roof and to the sky. He didn't know how this was going to go down, but he hoped it would go by in a quick and painless manner. He figured he had some more time to give him the last few mental pushes he needed since Jounouchi was gone now, but before he was done Jounouchi came running back around the corner.

"You're still out here?" Jounouchi asked, laughing a little bit as he came to a stop.

"I was thinking," Kaiba answered, glaring at him.

"Yeah, well, you think too much. There's nothing to be nervous about."

"I'm not nervous."

"Of course not," Jounouchi chimed amiably. "Then you won't mind a few stares or whispers. That's normal for you, I'd guess."

Kaiba watched him while he talked, wondering why his words were gentle.

"Just sit and drink. If nothing else, Yuugi and Mokuba will be glad you stuck around. If that matters to ya, I mean-"

"You talk too much," Kaiba interjected.

Jounouchi glared at him, opened his mouth again but then, seemed to decide against. He shook his head and huffed before walking past Kaiba to the door.

Kaiba watched him move, feeling both settled and apprehensive at his words. He knew that he was probably right, and he rathered it have been this way. If Yuugi had answered the door, he was sure he would have been thrown right into the mix and introduced to everyone all at once.

'Hey everyone, Kaiba's here!' he could hear Yuugi's voice chirping.

"I'm not gonna babysit you all night, y'know," Jounouchi grumbled as he started to open the door. "Hurry your ass up, I'm freezin'."

 _No one told you to wait,_ Kaiba snarked in head but he followed him into the house anyway and slipped his shoes off.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped in through the threshold was how hot it was. So many bodies on a single floor were bound to raise the temperature, but it wrapped around him and it made him feel sick. As if on cue, Jounouchi shoved a cold beer his way. If he had known that was the last he time he would see Jounouchi under normal circumstances for the rest of the night, he would have said thank you... or at least considered it. Instead, he just took it from him and watched him as he walked back out the door.

The kitchen was empty now, except for Anzu who was sitting on the counter, fiddling with her phone until he moved over to the counter and leaned into it. She offered him an awkward smile. Not surprisingly, he could not bring himself to smile back and she went back to her phone.

Yuugi came around the corner shortly, however. He took one look at Kaiba and promptly asked, "Are you okay?" like it was becoming some sort of greeting people were expected to give him.

"I'm hot," Kaiba answered back blandly.

"Oh," Yuugi said suddenly. "Well, the fans are upstairs right now. Do you want to go?"

After a moment's hesitation, Kaiba nodded and watched Yuugi leave towards the stairs but before he could follow, there was a hand on his arm. The physical contact made him bristle and he whipped around to see Anzu standing behind him, a concerned look on her face.

He fixed her with a cold look but her expression persisted.

"I know you get off on being a jerk but you need to be careful," Anzu said, her voice quiet as if she was telling him a secret, "Yuugi hasn't been the same since Atem left and Jounouchi-"

Kaiba moved his arm away from her hand roughly and saw her look of shock. He ignored it and moved in the direction that Yuugi had went, but it left him unsettled. He went up the stairs and into a room on his left that had a kotatsu, and a fan in the corner that Yuugi had turned on for him before kneeling in front of the table. He realized he was supposed to sit on the floor, too, but he had not done so since before Gozaburo adopted him.

"Sorry, I'll go get a chair," Yuugi said, seeing how he did not sit but instead fixed the floor with a confused expression.

"It's fine," Kaiba said back. I just don't know whether to kneel or sit cross-legged.

Both seemed strange but he chose to kneel in front of the table the way Yuugi was doing. It made for a more graceful way down.

"Sorry," Yuugi apologized again, "It must be awkward for you. I would have done more if I knew you were planning to come."

"I wasn't," Kaiba said truthfully. "I only came to try and make things right with Mokuba."

Yuugi nodded and stretched his arms out across his side of the table, putting his head down on one of them in a way that made Kaiba think of him as a sleepy child.

"I think things will be okay," Yuugi murmured quietly, his voice sincere, "You didn't have to come here to make things right."

Kaiba arched an eyebrow at him. "How do you know?"

Yuugi looked at him and blinked twice. "He's my friend."

"You say that like it's the answer to the universe," Kaiba said flatly.

"Not the universe... but probably this world," Yuugi teased, and closed his eyes.

Kaiba found himself smirking despite himself. Five years ago, he was sure Yuugi would have been offended... The Pharoah would have called him an unbeliever.

 _Displacement_ , Kaiba thought to himself. There was that feeling again. He had not kept up with them, and he could not understand. Mokuba's infatuation with the group, Anzu's warning, Jounouchi's attitude change... A part of him wanted to ask Yuugi... but how would one go about asking that sort of question?

"Are you feeling cooler now?" Yuugi asked him.

Kaiba nodded and noticed his feet were falling asleep.

"I'm glad," Yuugi said, and paused before starting again, "I'm glad we can sit in the same room after all this time and it feels normal."

The sentiment wasn't lost on him. It didn't feel quite as horrible as he imagined, anyway. Of course it was strange to be together under these circumstances, but it was easy to be calm when it was only the two of them and the circumstances did not involve saving the world or another person.

"The other day, at the cafe... I know you didn't want to be there but you stayed, anyway. I thought for sure you would stand up and make a scene and leave but you stayed." Yuugi gave a breathless laugh. "And then, Jounouchi came... and you still stayed."

Kaiba arched an eyebrow in distaste. "What are you trying to say?"

Yuugi's face tensed, then relaxed, so fast it was almost imperceptible. Kaiba did not like it one bit.

"When everybody left and you guys stayed back, did you guys talk at all?"

"No," Kaiba said simply, "He rambled a bit but I wasn't really listening. Then he left."

"Oh," Yuugi breathed into his sleeve.

"Get to the point," Kaiba pressed impatiently.

Yuugi drew his bottom lip into his mouth and chewed on it for a few moments. "It's just... we aren't that close anymore. None of us really are. I just thought..."

Kaiba watched him think.

"Never mind. I guess he wouldn't say anything to you, anyway."

Kaiba looked back down to the table and watched the sweat drip down the bottle of beer before deciding to let Yuugi talk to him. "Did you and Jounouchi have a fight?" he asked, the words coming out slow and awkward.

"No," Yuugi said softly, "We were just busy. We didn't talk..."

Kaiba fixed him with an unimpressed look, seeing through the excuses easily.

"We did have a disagreement once," Yuugi continued sheepishly, "At the airport the day that he left, but I didn't think he would take it so seriously. He stopped messaging and things got awkward. I thought I'd figure out what to say when the time was right, but I never did."

Kaiba took a drink of his beer and pinched the bridge of his nose, regretting starting this conversation. "You sound stupid," he complained, gaining Yuugi's attention, "If you guys are friends then it shouldn't matter what you argued about."

"No, Kaiba," he said firmly, sitting up straight, looking straight at him. "It did matter."

"But does it matter now?"

Yuugi suddenly look shocked. He broke the eye contact and fumbled with his shirt's sleeve again. "I don't know," He mumbled weakly. "That's why I asked you."

Kaiba opened his mouth to ask why it would make any sense to ask him, but he suddenly realized that if it was something strong enough to break apart Yuugi and Jounouchi, he probably did not want to hear about it anyway.

"Then forget it," Kaiba said, changing his line of thought. "You're either friends or you're not."

Yuugi looked pained, but stayed silent. Kaiba held in a sigh. This was not a conversation he was meant to have. This information was not for his ears, it was just nevause Yuugi was too scared to confront Jounouchi himself.

"You could do it, though," Yuugi said, looking at him with intense eyes. "You can ask him for me. Ask him."

Kaiba's brain fizzled out for a moment, caught off guard, but the irritation rose up inside of him quickly. He glared at Yugi, the smaller man's whole aura having changed in a way that made him equal parts irked and uncomfortable.

"I didn't ask to be a part of whatever this is," he told him flatly, "I don't care about your problems."

Yuugi's expression broke, as if he suddenly realized what he had been saying this whole time. It was unsettling and Kaiba assumed that this was what Anzu had been trying to say in the kitchen. It was like a total personality switch.

Kaiba shifted, trying to get the feeling back into his feet so he could get up and leave.

"I'm sorry," Yuugi said suddenly. "I didn't mean to involve you..."

Kaiba thought he looked like he was going to cry and it made him more uncomfortable.

"I hope you fix things with Mokuba," Yuugi continued murmuring. "You've always wanted what was best for him... even if it meant dying to do it. I don't have any hard feelings against you... I just can't stand the distance between everyone now."

Kaiba let out a grunt, wiggling his feet underneath him as they started to come back to life with painful pins-and-needles.

"I wish I could help more," Yuugi mumbled. "But, Mokuba is mad at me, also. He-"

"I don't want to hear anything else," Kaiba said firmly before Yuugi could expand. Especially not if it concerned Mokuba.

Finally, he stood up, leaving his beer on the table.

"Resolve whatever's plaguing the lot of you. It's starting to make me nauseous."

Yuugi just looked up at him silently and nodded, watching as Kaiba took his leave and went back down the stairs to the kitchen.

Anzu was not sitting there anymore, and the kitchen was empty. He was grateful for that. He could hear the sounds of people laughing coming from behind the sliding doors that led to the front of the house and it made him clench his jaw when he thought about Mokuba.

He walked over to the back door, and grabbed his shoes. As he slipped the first one on, he heard a a loud crash behind him and he turned to see Honda bracing himself against the wall, and Jounouchi standing on the stairs with a furious expression on his face. They both noticed him at the same time and the realization was clear on their faces. Perhaps, in a different dimension, it would have been comical.

Honda got up off of the wall. "Let's just get drunk."

Jounouchi nodded, before looking to Kaiba again, and then turning to go back up the stairs.

"Jounouchi," Kaiba called out, as he fixed his other shoe onto his foot. He waited for the other to turn around, ignoring Honda's look, which reminded him of a guard-dog. "Outside," he ordered before opening the door and walking out.

Jounouchi joined him out there, in socked feet, looking like he was about to be a victim. Kaiba gestured for him to close the door, and when Jounouchi did it, he leaned back against the wall like earlier.

"What's the deal?" Jounouchi asked, his hands going to either arm making him look lame and cold.

"You need to talk to Yuugi," Kaiba said firmly, although, he wasn't quite sure why he was even involving himself in the matter. Maybe it was guilt, or maybe he was actually convinced he could help. He couldn't tell. "I don't care what's going on with you two, but fix it."

Jounouchi's face tightened, and for once, he looked like he could not decide on the right words to say. Kaiba wondered if it was really that difficult of a situation. He took a deep breath.

"Apparently," he started, feeling the way he did when he had no other choice but to negotiate when in tense business meetings, "he thought I could help. So I'm helping. Make up with him, or cut him loose."

"You're helping?" Jounouchi asked, his voice laced with disbelief, "How? Like how you helped by telling Ikusawa I shouldn't be on the project 'cause I'm new?"

Kaiba cut his eyes at him. "That's not relevant."

Jounouchi gave a dry laugh. "Look, Kaiba. Sorry Yuugi got you caught up in this but it's over now, okay?"

"Is it?" Kaiba shot back. "I'm curious to know why I got dragged into it in the first place."

Jounouchi grunted and started to step back towards the door before stopping and asking, "What was it that you said? Some things are better left unspoken? Let's just stick with that."

Kaiba watched him as he opened the door and disappeared. When the door slammed, he shrugged, his first feeling towards the situation being indfference.

 _Let them have their secrets_ , he thought rationally, before turning and going back around the side of the house to the street. He felt for his phone in his back pocket and pulled it out. 11:15 PM. He frowned at the realization that he would never get those hours of his life back.

Mentally, he apologized to Mokuba, as he scrolled for Isono's number. He wished he asked Yuugi what he meant when he said, 'you didn't need to come here to make things right' instead of asking him how he knew that, but it was too late now. Saying those things to Yuugi, and engaging Jounouchi... it was possible he had just made things with Mokuba more difficult, but at least, he no longer felt like they threatened him with their rose-coloured glasses. The motion sickness was gone. They were just as fucked up as the rest of the world... and that made him feel great.

But now, as he stood on the sidewalk, listening to the phone ring in his ear, he realized another thing. Some development-a revelation, dare he say-that he'd long been ignoring was revealing itself to him, and before Isono arrived, he had already decided that Jounouchi's portfolio was worth a glance. Things had definitely changed, and he needed to know more.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello, again to those who are returning, or stuck with it this far! This chapter was pretty fun to write so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. We'll be in the thick of it soon enough.

* * *

I.K. Tech was a large, grey two-story building that sat on the outskirts of downtown Domino. The architecture was uninspiring, to say the least, and had not changed since the time he had come last year. He felt himself feeling similarly about the people walking in and out of the front lobby. Usually he liked perfectly coiffed automatons–he employed some of his own, after all–but today, he was feeling unusually dissatisfied. Thankfully, the secretary was dressed in a bright red outfit in the horrible grey that surrounded him.

"Welcome to I.K. Tech, Mr. Kaiba," she greeted. "Mr. Ikusawa will be with you shortly."

He nodded to her. Even thought about smiling, but in the end, she seemed pleased enough without it. He looked over to his assistant who was holding all the necessary files. One of them was Jounouchi's portfolio, which he had scanned several times in the last month, looking for flaws first, then unnecessaries, then improvements. He had talked to as many references as possible–professors, project managers, previous employers–and the overall consensus was that he was a great student, a great worker, and that they had encouraged him to work on bigger projects, which he always did exceptionally well on.

Everything checked out. The only glaring thing was a lack of a masters, but he had the licenses and the certificates, and apparently, a thesis piece. In the end, he had only a handful of critical remarks from his side, and theirs. And a horrible sinking feeling that he had been proved wrong, or duped.

 _Told you so,_ Mokuba's voice chimed in his mind.

 _I need to see it for myself,_ Kaiba thought. Artists might spent months or years perfecting a piece before including it in a professional portfolio. Engineers were no different. Still, he had to admit he was intrigued. All of the work was modern and minimalist, geared towards efficiency and simplification, but there were complex ideas upon further inspection.

All of these were reasons he had come personally, unlike last year. While he was assessing the team, their initial ideas, and progress, he would be able to assess Jounouchi, as well. Then maybe he would grasp how Jounouchi had accomplished so much so quickly and whether he was worth having or not. While everyone consulted awed over the potential, they also noted that he had a lack of experience in large-scale projects so the information stopped there.

Really, it was all a hassle.

"Oh, Mr. Kaiba!"

"Ikusawa," he greeted, spotting him at the elevator bank.

"I-I'm flattered you came personally."

He certainly looked flattered, but Kaiba waved a hand dismissively as he got closer. "It settles two matters at once."

Ikusawa rubbed his cheek thoughtfully and gave a smile. "Your reputation doesn't do you justice."

In the elevator, Ikusawa inserted a keycard, pressed a button that said B3, and the lift descended. Kaiba understood immediately. The business levels were above, and the labs were below. Perhaps the building wasn't quite as boring as he previously thought.

When the elevator reached the third below-ground level, Ikusawa led them through a large hallway, lined above with spotlights, until they reached their destination. A row of glass windows let them see into a large room, with many different machines, and many more computers, as well as a large table with many papers and a few blueprints. Around the room were ten of the eleven people who made up the KaibaCorp-I.K. Tech team.

What caught his immediate attention was in the centre of the room–a prototype surely–for a magnetic levitation ride. The pod and track took up a significant amount of space.

"They were not aware I was coming, correct?"

Ikusawa nodded. "Certainly. Probably better that way, really, we have some skittish ones and they'd be under so much pressure if they knew you-"

"It's fine," Kaiba interrupted, raising a hand about chest height. He watched Ikusawa fold. "Tell me about that." He pointed to the prototype.

"That machine is the team's most ambitious undertaking! A maglev coaster pod. The love-child of the new guy and our head tech. Of course, that comes later."

Ikusawa began to fill him in on the more immediate work, and his assistant took notes while he watched through the glass. His interest went to Jounouchi, who had stood up from a computer bank and went over to two other men. They all began to bicker.

"They're arguing," Kaiba stated.

Ikusawa laughed nervously. "Well, they all have a lot of… spunk, and a lot of ideas. The new guy tends to get irritated quickly. It was a concern in the beginning."

Kaiba nodded. He quickly inferred that they were arguing about some coding, or formulas, and he watched intently as Jounouchi listened to them, said something which seemed to fire the other two machinists up some more, then typed something into a console. The two men seemed to bite back their words, before chuckling.

"The team seems to be managing well," Kaiba said reluctantly.

Jounouchi was always that type of person, he conceded. Irritating in a way you just can't bring yourself to hate.

He tilted his head slightly, examining the machine more closely. It was quite similar to his own model, in fact–although his plans were classified–but he knew neither prototype was ready for market. Nevertheless, it was worth his attention. He hadn't expected that coming here. Ikusawa did have some hidden cards, he reflected.

"Is the tech in here today?"

Ikusawa shook his head. "Family emergency. She was on the team last year, however. Naoki, if you remember."

"Then I want to talk to him about the machine," Kaiba said promptly, shocking Ikusawa and the advisor, and partly himself. "Call him out."

Ikusawa opened his mouth and then closed it again before opening it once more, "Out here?"

Kaiba frowned slightly, but he understood. "I'd like to borrow him then," he said, a mental vision of Jounouchi acting boisterous in front of Ikusawa coming to him. "My assistant will stay with you to finish the planned assessments."

"Sure, take all the time you need," Ikusawa agreed, and gestured for them to move back to the elevators. "I'll have the secretary call him up and get you an empty meeting room. Will you also be deciding whether or not to include him on the team?"

Kaiba took Jounouchi's portfolio from his assistant. "I'll have my decisions emailed later today."

Ikusawa nodded and ushered them into the elevator, then the main lobby, before he went over the scarlet-clad secretary and asked for her to call Jounouchi up. Then he came back to Kaiba.

"I'll just be taking him then," he joked. "The secretary will put you two in an empty meeting room," he added, and walked back to the elevators with the KaibaCorp assistant in tow.

Shortly after the two had disappeared, the next set of elevators opened, and Jounouchi appeared, having lost his jumpsuit. Now in a plain grey tee and jeans, Kaiba could not stop himself from trying to get a good look at the other without some type of thick sweater on.

Jounouchi looked towards the secretary who smiled and gestured to Kaiba, who cleared the hazy look from his face in record time, just before their eyes met.

"Kaiba?"

"Yes."

Jounouchi gave him a blank look. "You want me to grovel or somethin'?"

"Not during business hours, preferably." He smirked at the vision that came to his mind, and held up the portfolio. "I want to talk about your work."

Jounouchi grinned impishly. "Impressed?"

Kaiba gave him a scathing look before he looked to the secretary who told them to where to go. They walked past her down a short hallway and into a small conference room with six chairs. Kaiba closed the door behind them and went to the table. He realized that never in the all time he had spent calculating and considering, had he ever envisioned this being a reality. He let out a small sigh and took a seat, opening the folder. He pulled out a three page file.

Jounouchi shifted in his chair uncomfortably.

"Tell me about this project."

Jounouchi fixed him with a cautious expression. "It's work I did at Tokyo's KaibaLand. There was a project I asked to be on, to troubleshoot that ride. I ended up fixing the problem."

Kaiba fixed him with a hard look. "How?"

Jounouchi held his hands up in his defence. "I figured this would happen one day. You'd be all irritated with someone tinkering with your toys. I get it, but the technicians who were there… well, they sucked."

"I'm not irritated."

Jounouchi furrowed his brows. "Then why am I here?"

"Exactly as I said, to talk about your work."

There was a sigh but Jounouchi explained it, anyway.

Unconvinced, he took out another file. "What about this one?"

Again, Jounouchi answered, and Kaiba listened faintly while trying to imagine him without the shirt, but the other didn't seem to notice at all, caught up in his explanations. When the other was finished talking, Kaiba felt more convinced. Jounouchi did indeed have the proper knowledge, so he would have to bite back his pride for the time being, and continue the conversation.

"The maglev prototype downstairs, Ikusawa said you and Naoki created it?"

"Yeah, but she's not here today."

"Its an ambitious project," Kaiba offered.

Jounouchi shrugged. "It's a concept right now."

Kaiba did not appreciate the sentiment behind that remark. Whether it was modesty, or actual nonchalance, he wasn't sure. Personally, he had a lot invested in the idea of the magnetic track rollercoaster and his own prototype, which had been forgotten until now in favour of his VR line which called for a more immediate touch.

"Who had the idea?"

"Me, I guess," he mumbled, rubbing his neck. "I thought about it back at the KaibaLand in Tokyo. There's a ride…"

 _Dragon's Flight._

"Dragon's Flight, I think. It would be perfect don't ya think?"

Kaiba resisted the urge to choke the other from across the table. His fingers twitched. _What were the odds?_ He closed up the portfolio hurriedly and set it aside.

"You know I'm here to assess you, right?"

Jounouchi's expression soured. "Don't you have a company to run instead of 'evaluating' little old me?"

"KaibaLand is a project that I spent my entire life on, Jounouchi," he said sternly, "And it has been running under _my_ direct supervision for over ten years. Ikusawa saw potential, but he's much more lenient than I am."

The blond sighed with frustration and looked to the table. Maybe he was realizing it for himself, the length Kaiba had just gone to… but he wouldn't understand why.

"If you were not you, this meeting would have still happened," Kaiba clarified. "I hope you have enough of a brain to realize your attitude is the exact reason I called you out alone."

"I get it."

 _Doubtful_.

Kaiba clucked his tongue lightly and knew he needed to rein the conversation back in. "Listen," he started bluntly, "I'm going to be honest, your inclusion on this project is risky."

Jounouchi looked unconvinced. "Why?"

"Considering the relationship you have with my brother, our previous encounters, not to mention your behaviour at New Years–"

"That has nothing to do with this," Jounouchi argued.

Kaiba ignored him and continued. "You also lack experience in these types of project. It might be enough for Ikusawa but it's a difficult sell for me, even if the work is… notable."

He could see that Jounouchi was trying his best to not come undone. He tried to quell his amusement. The other's determination was always interesting to watch.

"I should at least get the opportunity to prove that I can."

He scoffed. "That sounds like you're asking me for a favour."

Jounouchi set his jaw and shifted in the seat. "I have to think you didn't come all the way down here, say you appreciate the work, all to just make them cut me. This is my job."

Kaiba frowned. "It's a risk for the future. I know your personality."

"No, you don't," Jounouchi retorted. "You _never_ did. You can't judge me off New Years. I was pretty drunk, and everyone has problems-"

"Not problems I get dragged into."

Jounouchi shook his head. " _I_ didn't drag you into it. I was polite. If you're considering me some kind of… employee variable or something, I won't be one. I know you don't think so but I'm pretty good at this. This _is_ my job," he repeated.

Kaiba could see the determination on his face. His dark eyes seemed bottomless. He had seen it once or twice before when they were younger. It was convincing, but more than that, it made his stomach turn. He remained stone-faced despite it. "So then, convince me."

He observed the tension release from the other's upper body, the way he bit his lip while thinking of the right words to say.

"This… has been all I've lived and breathed since I left Domino... I spent all my time studying, or in seminars, making connections. Trying my hardest to be included in projects so I would have more practical experience than anyone who graduated with me. And I do. And better ideas." Jounouchi pursed his lips and took a breath. "I'm never going to be _you,"_ he said with what seemed like great difficulty, "But I should be on this project."

Kaiba felt his stomach knot tight. He wished he had not said 'comvince me', maybe something more like 'why would I ever?'.

Jounouchi continued, his voice stronger, more confident. "I have the necessary license and certificates, and I've been studying KaibaLand stuff since day one. I'm not some hack. That's what the maglev is, or what I want it to be."

Somehow, he was breathless. There were words in his head but nothing he could say. As much as he had tried to prepare himself for this feeling, he had doubted it just as much. The maglev, the time spent in Tokyo, he wanted to ask, but he didn't. He was afraid it would show his interest too clearly.

"Your thinking face is good," Jounouchi said from across the table, a bemused grin coming across his lips.

"I recall telling you not to talk me so casually," Kaiba muttered, making a difficult effort to recompose himself. Remarkably, he was able to look at the other with a renewed coldness before standing and taking the folder.

Jounouchi held back a snicker, but Kaiba saw the horrid playful expression cross his face before he stood. "Thanks for the opportunity, Mr. Kaiba."

Kaiba maintained his outward apathy. _I'm just looking forward to having you fired_ , was all he really wanted to say, but he stayed silent as he let them both out of the room.

At the elevators, Jounouchi turned to look at him. "I want to be on good terms."

His tone was genuine but Kaiba could tell the words were picked carefully. He cut him a side-glance, knowing that was impossible. Their personalities were already beginning to clash again, he could tell. In a work environment, it was much less amusing than the debacles five years prior. If it wasn't for the potential of that maglev prototype, and the common ground he had found in the other about using it for Dragon's Flight, Jounouchi would be gone. But he _had_ found it, and despite the odd remark, Jounouchi had cooperated perfectly.

"We were never on any terms at all," Kaiba said when the elevator doors opened.

They stepped inside and Jounouchi inserted his key card, as Kaiba pressed the floor button. When the doors closed, Jounouchi fixed him with a strange look. Although he pretended not to notice, he could not stop the visceral pull he felt. He just could not understand what he felt pulled to do.

"You don't need to be stressed out."

Kaiba looked at him with his usual arrogance. "What would I be worried about?"

Jounouchi just shrugged and looked away. When the elevator doors opened, Jounouchi walked out ahead of him, and Kaiba searched his back as if it would give him answers. It was really unlike the other to hold his tongue. Now he had done it three times, and it had become unsettling. It felt like Jounouchi knew something he didn't and he hated it.

The other had changed a lot. He had realized it after Yuugi's party, and while doing the internal assessment. It was like he was watching a completely different person, but a very familiar one all the same. He was still passionate, hard-headed, and snarky, but disciplined and…

 _I really want to hurt him_ , he realized. Not physically, but he wanted to know he brought the other pain–a lasting, agonizing pain. Undeniably, there had been some all too satisfying feeling when he crushed the other in one way or another in the past, and there had always been some reason or another to deny him. His rowdy attitude, his losses, his rude disposition. But now what was there beside a history of bad-blood?

This was the only time he felt like he had been bested, even if the outcome was what he had expected, and he could not deny the intense urge to… absolutely destroy, or _consume_ the other.

He stopped walking for a moment, and balled his fists up. This was exactly the reason he had not wanted to work with the other, he realized. He had not fully understood it back at the KaibaCorp Christmas party but there was just something he could not contain when it came to Jounouchi. It was the reason he called to him at the cafe, and then at the party, it was his inability to stop himself from noticing the other. Even if it was momentary, it was a weakness.

He had forgotten all about it.

 _Damn_ , he thought, starting to walk again, _why do I have to feel like this?_ _If Mokuba could see me now_.

Upon reaching the lab that Jounouchi had already disappeared into, he became sure that his brother would no longer laugh, or pat him on the back, like many months ago. Now, Mokuba would probably nod knowingly, and brush it aside. The distance had become too large.

Finally, he gave himself a mental shake and went to retrieve his assistant. There were many other meetings and priorities he could focus on. He just hoped he would be able to.

* * *

"Seto?"

Kaiba looked up from his laptop. Mokuba stood at the threshold to his office; he looked vulnerable, sliding his fingers along the doorframe and looking at the floor. It was a sight in itself.

"Can I come in?"

It had been several days since the last time they had a proper conversation, longer still since it was about anything except work. There was no way Kaiba would turn him away.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

Awkwardly, Mokuba came in and sat down on a leather couch. It scrunched beneath him noisily, making them both wince.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, watching his little brother closely.

He sat with his head down, his hair shading his eyes. "I think… I should apologize."

"For what?" He asked, closing his laptop.

Mokuba looked up at him, with shiny eyes that rocked Kaiba to the core. "I've been an asshole," he muttered. "I was... _really_ mad at you… and, like, the world."

Kaiba looked at him oddly, but it wasn't like he couldn't understand. "The world?" he repeated back.

Mokuba heaved a great sigh and threw his head back against the couch. "Have you ever been in love?"

Kaiba tilted his head slightly. "No, I don't think so."

"Not once?"

Kaiba blinked a few times and inwardly reflected. Nothing hit his radar as 'love'. Attraction, yes-he'd felt a great deal of it earlier today when faced with Jounouchi 2.0-but not love. "No," he said again.

Mokuba sucked his teeth. "Well, what would you do if you did?"

Kaiba thrummed the desk with his fingertips, and considered it. He wasn't really sure what his answer should be based off of but he did know enough, though, to say the approach he would take would be _different_. "I…" He stopped, and started again. "I'm not sure. It's probably different from what you're going through."

"Cause it's a guy?"

"What?"

"I mean, cause it's a guy for _me_ ," Mokuba said hurriedly, sitting up straight again, "Not for you."

"Oh," Kaiba said softly, first feeling relieved, then feeling wrong. He should probably tell Mokuba that it wasn't much different. Or maybe, it was best left for a different time. After all, hadn't Mokuba just come out to him?

"So you like a man?"

"Uh… sorry," Mokuba grumbled. "I probably should have something sooner. Are you... mad?"

Kaiba shrugged and returned to tapping the desk. He figured it was best to just roll with the punches at this point. If Mokuba wanted to talk, he would gladly let him.

"Well, whatever. He doesn't like me," Mokuba mumbled. "I guess that's why I was mad. I didn't need to be mad at you though, Seto. It was…" Mokuba sighed, seeming frustrated now. "Never mind."

Kaiba pursed his lips and thought of what to say, but nothing came. Comfort was not his strong suit.

"Anyway, I… heard that you approved Jounouchi for the project?"

Kaiba frowned at the topic change. "You 'heard', hm?" He wondered where he had heard that from. Company chatter? Jounouchi, himself? He guessed it didn't matter. He had already resolved to talk.

"Yes, well, I suppose that's right. I did my assessment. Obviously, you can gather the rest."

Mokuba laughed lightly but Kaiba thought it sounded bitter.

"Don't wanna say it out loud? 'You were right'? 'He's pretty good'? I tried to tell you before, though… That Jounouchi was changing. You didn't want to hear it."

Kaiba let out a 'tsk' and sighed. "I didn't have any reason to think it would ever concern me."

"For a genius, you're not very smart," Mokuba snarked.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. I just feel bad for Jounouchi. Throwing his friends away, his whole life," he said with an exaggerated mock-sadness. "Love makes you do crazy things. I should know."

Kaiba made a face. "Love?"

Mokuba seemed to preen. "Why else would someone leave a place where their potential was realized, to come back here to shit memories and shit people?"

"Can you watch your mouth?"

Mokuba stuck his tongue out. "Whatever. You won't have to hear it when I'm in Switzerland," he said, standing up.

"You're going?"

"Yeah, right now. I just wanted to apologize before I left. And tell you I love you."

Kaiba frowned and stood up from his desk. "Why?"

Mokuba shrugged, and it was painful to watch. "Formally, it's the best possible education decision to become a valuable member of KaibaCorp."

He huffed. "And informally?"

Mokuba gave him a dark look. "Unlike Jounouchi, I don't want to stay and face ever-lasting rejection. I'll just find some cute Swiss guy."

Kaiba was lost for words. All that ran through his head was why? He had been trying, hadn't he? He even admitted to himself that he had been wrong about a lot of things, that he needed to change. And yet, Mokuba was still going to go? Logically, there was no reason to feel this way but it came all the same. The feeling of being lost, of being personally attacked. But why? Why now? It still felt sudden.

"Who rejected you?" he asked, finally. He had waited too long to ask, skirting around Mokuba, thinking too much about miniscule things. The company, Jounouchi, none of those things should have come before trying to make up with his brother.

But it was too little too late, he realized. Mokuba's frown was deep.

"I still don't want to talk about that with you. I just wanted to tell you. Because I was only mad at you because I felt like it was your fault I was rejected."

"My fault?"

"At the end of the day, I'm still your little brother!" Mokuba shouted, startling him. "I have no personal accomplishments! I just sit in your shadow all the time… and the people I want to see me only see you…"

Kaiba sighed. "Why couldn't you just talk to me?"

"I don't _know_ ," Mokuba seethed. "I just wanted to do some things myself. I just wanted everyone to get along and you to change but the truth is I'm not doing anything here, Seto. I was just sitting around pining… but I should have been doing what Jounouchi was doing."

Reluctantly, he asked, "And what's that?"

"Going out and getting better so I can take what I want by myself. You can understand that, can't you?"

Kaiba pressed his lips together and gave a brief nod. He could see now, the tears that came back into his brother's eyes, feel his frustration like it was a tangible thing. He was defeated by them.

"Thank you," Mokuba said shakily.

There was a long silence between them. Kaiba had never felt heavier in his whole life.

"Can I ask you a favour, Seto?"

Kaiba nodded again, not trusting his voice.

"Can you... try to get along with the others? I don't want you to be here by yourself."

"... Sure, Mokuba."

It was all he felt he could say, weighed down by the realization that Mokuba had been feeling this way for quite a while, and was, in fact, going to leave. This would probably be their last face-to-face conversation for a while.

"One more thing." Mokuba smiled before pointing to the front of the house. "I'm gonna take the jet, okay?"

"Just go," Kaiba huffed, sitting back down in the chair. "You're insufferable."

Mokuba touched the top of the desk lightly. "I love you, Seto."

But Kaiba could not answer until Mokuba was already closing the door behind him.

"Love you," he said softly, as soon as the door closed.

He let out a long breath and sank deeper into his chair, burying his face in his hands. He had a lot of questions, but he didn't take the time to ponder them at all. He knew he should just happy Mokuba had came at all, even if it was followed by departure.

"What a day," he said aloud.

The silence of his mansion was the only thing that could answer. He guessed that was Mokuba meant by not wanting him to be alone. But it was probably too late to go back. Probably. He just wasn't that type of man.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm working hard on the next chapter, so thank you for those who are following, favouriting and reviewing.


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